The amount of people using e-cigarettes is increasing dramatically. According to Electrical Safety First, about 2.1 million adults in Great Britain are currently using e-cigarettes.

Whilst e-cigarettes are debatably safer than normal cigarettes, they still have dangers. They can be a possible fire hazard and hurt users and other people.

If you use e-cigarettes but are concerned about the hazards, try these 6 tips to keep yourself safe.

1. Do not leave charging e-cigarettes unattended

If you have an e-cigarette, ensure you do not leave it unattended while it’s charging. This could be while you’re sleeping or in the bathroom. You could easily leave it to charge for too long, which might cause it to overheat. An overheated or overcharged e-cigarette is a fire hazard and should be avoided.

2. Keep your e-cigarette away from children

Just like all electric devices, you should keep your e-cigarette away from children. If they’re misused they can be a fire and safety hazard.

3. Follow charging instructions

The manufacturer’s instructions that come with your e-cigarette will state clearly what batteries you should use and/or what charging voltage to use. Be sure to follow these instructions. And if you buy a charger separately to your e-cigarette, ensure you get the type the instructions specify. Using the wrong voltage to charge your e-cigarette could make it overheat or malfunction.

4. Pay attention to product warnings

Another safety tip is to ensure that you pay attention to any warnings that come with your e-cigarette. These will warn you against things like over-tightening the screwed link to the rechargeable battery. Disregarding manufacturer warnings can cause mechanical damage that leads to malfunctioning or overheating.

5. Don’t keep loose batteries together

It’s not a smart idea to keep loose e-cigarette batteries together in places like pockets and drawers, especially with metal things like coins and keys. If you do this it could become a fire hazard.

6. Ensure your e-cigarette complies with safety standards

Before buying or using an e-cigarette, make sure that it meets European safety standards. You can tell by if it has a CE mark on it. E-cigarettes that don’t have this mark could be safety hazards.